A constant problem in building construction is aligning openings in a panel to be attached to a wall with utility outlets previously installed on the wall. In a typical situation, electrical outlet boxes, water pipes, dryer exhaust pipes, HVAC vents or other utility outlets are installed within a wall frame. Wall panels, particularly Sheetrock and decorative paneling, are to be nailed to the wall frame. However, openings must be cut in the panels before the panels are attached to the wall to provide access to the utility outlets.
The problem arises because the location of an outlet must be measured from arbitrary reference points, usually the floor and a nearby wall frame stud, and the measurements must then be flipped and applied to the backside of a panel. This process must be done quickly and accurately during construction. Errors inevitably arise because of inaccurate measurements or miscalculations and, consequently, expensive materials are wasted.
Several devices have been developed to aid a carpenter in marking outlet openings on a panel. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,696,113 to Rice, 4,423,555 to Wootten, 4,285,135 to Minozzi, Jr., 4,228,592 to Badger, 4,059,907 to Dauber, 3,808,690 to Balder, 3,678,588 to Isola et al., 3,672,064 to Elkins et al., and 3,522,658 to Howell. The present invention combines many of the advantages of these devices while avoiding many of their disadvantages.